


Bunny, Meet Mr. Eliot Spencer

by rozabellalove



Category: Leverage
Genre: F/M, Schmoop, slightly cracky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-24
Updated: 2011-08-25
Packaged: 2017-10-23 01:03:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/244529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rozabellalove/pseuds/rozabellalove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Parker formally introduces Eliot to Bunny. This is unashamed schmoop, look away if you have problems with sugar ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When she stopped punching him and started staring at him the way she did a bar of chocolate, Eliot knew that something had changed with Parker. He’d catch her giggling with Hardison, but as soon as he walked into the room they’d both clam up like it was a secret. Sophie just rolled her eyes and told him he’d figure it out eventually.

He didn’t have to figure it out, he knew what was going on from the get go, he just didn’t know how to handle it. He was interested, of course he was interested, the woman was gorgeous. But she was just so damn innocent at the same time, it threw him off in the worst way. Eliot was used to women that were forward and sophisticated. They knew what they wanted, they knew exactly how to get it. One lingering glance, a slow smile and they were walking up to him, in bars, on the street, cafés, restaurants, galleries, museums, it was easy, it was effortless.

Picking up Parker was like taking a giant leap back in time to an age when girls drew on your arm to get your attention and then ran away giggling. The next day their friends would come over and tell you they liked you and all of a sudden you were going steady without saying more than five words to each other, blushing and stammering every time you were together. On reflection, that time was a lot easier too.

After a few weeks of Parker’s odd behavior he’d resorted to talking to Hardison about it. On the list of ‘things I most regret in life’ that came in at about number three. Eliot got as far as, “You _know_ Parker, right?” when the hacker launched into a complicated and confusing story about a carrot and a banana that seemed to be some kind of metaphor for the Eliot and Parker situation, but Eliot might have been reading the whole thing wrong. He left that conversation none the wiser and with little red crescent marks in his palms that took a while to fade.

In the end it had been Nate who’d told him to just wait it out. Told him that Parker would take her time, but she’d come to him eventually. As always, Nate was right.

~*~

Meditation was something that Eliot avoided unless he absolutely needed to do it. He didn’t enjoy the new-age connotations of it, but sometimes he needed the calm that came from losing and finding himself in those few hours of peace.

When the door to his sanctuary loudly burst open, he was up and in a loose fighting stance before Parker could take two steps inside the room. It took him a moment to find the calm again, body tense and ready for an attack, but the bright look in her eyes brought him back quicker than anything else could have.

She was holding something behind her back. Had it been anyone other than a member of the team he’d have been on high alert by now, her unannounced entrance, the cagey behavior, it was odd. She stepped further into the candlelit room and he could suddenly see that she was nervous. She could control her body, she kept every muscle under tight command, but her face always betrayed her. The flush of her cheeks and the way her eyes darted around the room, avoiding contact with his own, she was anxious about this, about whatever she was holding in her hidden hands.

He stepped out of the circle of candles and gestured at the couch against the wall. She smiled shyly and finally met his eyes, he wondered if she was going to say anything or just sit there and keep hiding whatever she had until one or both of them had to get up and go.

She cleared her throat and he waited, letting the quiet meditation CD fill the silence until she spoke. “Mr. Eliot Spencer.” Oh this was bad, why was she using his full name? He panicked and frowned at her, hand reaching out to her but not quite meeting her knee before he drew it back. “I’d like you to meet Bunny.” She pulled out a worn but clean stuffed bunny toy from behind her. “Bunny, this is Mr. Eliot Spencer.” She was look at the toy now, and Eliot was staring at her with his mouth just a little open. He prided himself on knowing how to handle any situation, but there was no guidebook for this one.

“Nice to meet you, Bunny.” Without thinking he stuck out his hand as if to shake, and Parker grinned, pushing the bunny forward until its little paw was inside Eliot’s outstretched hand. He shook the bunny’s paw.

She pulled the bunny back, once he let go of the paw, and stood up. Giving him a quick but enthusiastic wave, she walked out of the room. As she went he could hear her going down the hall, “See, I told you there was nothing to be afraid of! Yeah, but…no he doesn’t hit _us_ …”

He closed his eyes and shook his head, still not entirely sure what had just happened, but knowing that there was no need for him to restart the meditation session, inner calm was easy to achieve when you were happy.

 

PART 2 ‘Bunny Snuggles’

Eliot had never been a particularly heavy sleeper. Years of sleeping light, fist clenched around the handle of a knife, had trained him to wake up at the slightest noise around him. He was ready to go at the drop of a pin. If there was one person who could get in and out of his room without him noticing though, it was Parker. Hell, if she could get through a sound and pressure sensitive vault while flipping and cartwheeling to avoid lazers, she could sneak up on anyone.

He awoke one morning to find his favorite knife missing from under his pillow, and a small furry thing pressed up against his neck instead. He stayed perfectly still. The thing was warm and fluffy, most deadly animals were not fluffy, but there were plenty of cute little furry things that he’d come across in the depths of the Australian bush that would claw your eyes out as good as look at you. He held his breath for a moment and risked a glance down, the fur was a light golden brown and was vaguely familiar. He realized after a while that the thing was not breathing, had no heartbeat. Pulling back slowly he managed to get a good look at it. It was Parker’s bunny.

Eliot let out a quick, relieved huff of a laugh and plucked the bunny from where it was nestled against his skin. Long, floppy ears brushed against his hand and he sat up in the bed and propped it on his knee. A glance around the room told him that nothing else was out of place except that on the bedside table there was what looked like a small make-up bag. Curious about what was inside, and already missing his night knife, Eliot leaned over and grabbed the bag.

Inside was a small brush that looked like it was for cats or little dogs, a pack of wet wipes, and a little green gingham doll’s dress. There was no note or instructions for what to do with these items, but Eliot could imagine what she would do each morning with her beloved bunny. It wasn’t exactly his style to sit in bed of a morning giving a toy bunny a wet wipe bath and brush down, then dressing it up for the day, but Parker would know. Somehow, she would know if he didn’t do it, he had no doubt about that.

~*~

Standing outside the door to Nate’s flat, he had a moment of worry. Should he have brought bunny with him? Were the guys all going to laugh when he walked in holding bunny all dressed up for the day? And when did he start thinking of the toy as just ‘bunny’ instead of ‘the bunny’?

He took a step forward just as the door opened and Parker came through. She closed the door behind her, leaving them alone in the hallway, just the three of them. It took him a second to realize that she’d lifted bunny straight out of his hand, he’d been too busy looking at her, too distracted to notice. He watched as she inspected bunny. Suddenly he was nervous, tucking his hair behind his ears and dragging in a deep breath. Bracing himself, arms folded, he waited for the verdict.

She was holding the little fuzzy bundle up to her ear and nodding. “And did you have a nice night?” It took him a moment to work out who she was talking to, but her eyes were fixed on him with a frightening intensity.

“Best night’s sleep in a long time.” His eyes narrowed as he watched her absorb his answer, waiting for her judgement to be laid down, waiting to see if he’d passed whatever test she was putting him through.

Her smile was like the sun breaking through grey clouds. As she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on the cheek, he tried to remember the last time he’d blushed so much. Bunny was crushed against one side of his face, but her free hand was tangled up in his hair. Before he could do much more than wrap his arms around her waist, she pulled back and looked behind her at the closed door. He saw something flash across her face, a decision made, and she was off down the hallway. For some reason she didn‘t want to take bunny in there to meet the rest of the team.

Once again he heard her chatting to bunny as she disappeared from view, “Did you get snuggles? Oh, bunny, don’t be shy, it‘s just Eliot. Snores? Oh, well I‘m sure we can do something about that…”

As he stepped forward to open the door to Nate’s apartment, he felt something tucked into the waistband of his jeans and reached back to pull it out. The knife was wrapped in a big square of the green gingham cloth that was completely at odds with the look of the thing, all sharp edges and deadly curves. But she’d returned it and that was what mattered. She might not have thought about it, but the message was simple. When it came to Parker, Eliot was completely disarmed.

 

PART 3 'Bunny, Meet Mr. Bunny'

It had been a week since Eliot had woken up missing a knife and cuddling a golden-furred toy bunny instead. In that week the team had successfully taken out a corrupt CEO that was skimming money from his company’s pension fund, Hardison had pimped out Lucille Three with a new sound system, Nate and Sophie had started touching each other in little ways whenever they were in a room together, and Parker had pretty much disappeared off the face of the earth. Apart from turning up when she was needed for the con, Eliot hadn’t seen her for more than five minutes all week.

There was no doubt that she was avoiding him, but he couldn’t figure out why until he spoke to Sophie.

“Don’t be mad,” Sophie started, and Eliot felt his pulse beginning to notch up already.

“What did you do?” He tried not to growl, but Sophie still took a few steps back, putting Nate’s kitchen island between the two of them. The move would have looked casual to anyone else, but Eliot knew the grifter’s unfazed expression was a mask.

“Well,” she started, “she may have somehow got an idea into her head that she should play hard to get.” Sophie shook her head, smiling as if she couldn’t fathom where Parker may have stumbled across this ridiculous idea. “And you know Parker, she doesn’t really do things by halves.”

Eliot’s knuckles were white as he gripped the counter, gravel in his voice, eyes closed he asked, “Where is she?”

Sophie shook her head, “I promised not to tell you. I’m sorry Eliot, but she asked me not to say anything.”

“Fine, but just…Don’t give her any more advice, okay?” He grabbed his jacket and slammed the apartment door. He wasn’t about to waste his time, Sophie was much harder to break than someone else on the team. Someone who would know exactly where Parker was even if she hadn’t told him.

~*~

The earbud slipped easily into his ear and Eliot was instantly linked to Hardison, the only team member who never seemed to take his out.

“Where is she?” He didn’t waste precious seconds on the usual chatter that Hardison tended to cultivate.

“Eliot, what’s shaking, man? Who ya looking for? Wanna come over and watch the game tonight? I hear it‘s gonna-” He could hear the sounds of Hardison’s World of Warcraft game in the background and the click of keys as Hardison typed.

“Where. Is. She?” He ground out through gritted teeth.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take a chill pill, El. She doesn’t want to be found. She didn‘t even tell me where she was going. ‘Course that don‘t mean I don‘t **know** where she is, I mean, I _am_ the best hacker in Boston.” So Hardison knew about this too. Was there anyone that didn’t already know more about Eliot’s love life than he did himself?

“I’m outside your place. Tell me where she is or I come up and **make** you talk.” He saw the blinds twitch and waved.

“Okay, fine. But if she asks then you gotta tell her that you beat it out of me.”

“I may still if you don’t just tell me where the hell she is. Dammit, Hardison!”

The address was familiar, but it took him a moment to place it. When it clicked, he grinned and set off. Making one quick stop along the way.

~*~

Eliot wasn’t technically a grifter or a thief, but he _was_ a very highly skilled retrieval specialist. Getting into the vault of the Federal Street branch of Bank of America wasn’t too difficult for him. A man with a clipboard and a take-no-shit attitude could get himself past the tightest of security. Working out where she was hiding proved to be a little harder. A quick comms buzz to Hardison had the manager leaving him alone in the vault to investigate an ‘emergency’ upstairs.

He scanned the room for possible hiding places, there weren’t many. One in particular had him thinking twice. Two of the locked boxes looked about the right size. He kneeled down and knocked at the two of them at the same time and waited for an answer.

Slowly, one of the doors swung open, revealing Parker sat cross-legged on a block of plastic-wrapped money. She was clutching bunny - who was wearing a very fetching orange sundress - and looking at him with a frown on her face, head cocked at an angle. “Oh!” She exclaimed, “I thought it was Sophie.”

“Nope, just me.” He stood up, held out a hand, and she took it so he could pull her up. “Well, me and someone else.” He grinned and kept the surprise behind his back.

She frowned at him again as if he’d gone a little soft in the head, “Eliot, there’s no-one else here. Just me you and bunny.”

“You sure about that?” He raised his eyebrows and waited a second, enjoying the puzzled look on her face, before pulling out Mr. Bunny. “This is Mr. Bunny. He wanted to come along with me to meet you both.” The bunny was new but Eliot had pulled off the tags and kept it inside his jacket so it would be warm when she touched it. Its fur was short and blue, a little softer than Bunny’s but not so plush that Bunny would feel jealous. It said something for how deep his feelings were starting to go that he didn’t even wonder when he’d started considering a stuffed toy’s feelings.

“He looks sad.” She reached out to stroke one of his ears.

“He’s lonely.” He gazed at her hopefully, watching her pet the little blue toy.

“And he’s far too thin, Eliot. You haven’t been taking care of him.” She fixed him with an accusatory glare and he smiled.

“How about you and Bunny come round to visit me tonight around eight and we’ll see if I can do something about that?”

Her fingers stilled on the boy bunny’s ear, “Both of us?” He nodded. She smiled and continued stroking the bunny, “Bunny only eats salad.” She leaned down and put her ear to Mr. Bunny’s stitched-on mouth, nodding as if he was talking to her, “SO does Mr. Bunny. Only green stuff please.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Leaving the bank with Mr. Bunny tucked back inside his jacket, Eliot smiled wider than he had all week.

~*~

The table was set for four, he’d even put big cushions out on two of the chairs so that the bunnies could see over the edge of the table. It was a few minutes to eight when he lit the candles and set the music to play. When he turned from the stereo, Parker was already there, sitting rigidly in her chair with Bunny and Mr. Bunny on either side of her.

“Hey you.” She smiled.

Eliot was prepared for this, she’d always had a problem with doors. He still had the apron on, but he’d pulled out the bandanna before she got there and checked for smears on his hands and face.

She was wearing a deep pink strapless dress that came to just below the knee, hugging her curves but without looking like she’d tried too hard. Her golden hair tumbled in loose waves around her face. Bunny was dressed in an equally fetching number, and when he looked again, he realized that Parker had tied a little blue bow-tie around Mr. Bunny’s neck.

He grinned and walked back to the open-plan kitchen, “Hey, you all ready for the first course?” She nodded and picked up her knife and fork, holding them in anticipation. He laughed and brought the dishes to the table, making sure to put Parker and Bunny’s dishes down first. He sat down and nervously flicked back his hair. “This is rocket and pear salad with a lemon and pecorino dressing.”

Her eyes widened and she took a forkful, peering closely at it before she popped it into her mouth and began to chew, moaning as the flavours combined on her tongue. Eliot smiled, watching her take another mouthful, before he remembered the wine he’d left chilling in the fridge. “Just gonna…” He got up and went to the fridge, opening the bottle on his way back. By the time he sat down Parker’s dish was half empty and both of the bunny dishes were clean. She looked up at him with innocent, butter-wouldn’t-melt eyes and cheeks as full as a hibernating hamster. “Wow, bunnies really love salad, huh?” He tried not to laugh, suppressing it with just a grin instead. By the time he’d made a fuss over pouring the wine and some apple juice for the bunnies, her mouth was empty and she was demurely picking at her own salad again.

After a main course of green pasta with spinach and ricotta, Eliot brought out dessert. The lemon and mint sorbet was fresh and cold. Once again Parker managed to sneakily polish off the bunnies’ servings too. Eliot wondered where she was putting it all, although after the starters he’d adjusted the portions so that there was a little less on the plates for her to wolf down.

At the end of the night she told him that she and Bunny had had a lovely evening, and that Bunny would like to see Mr. Bunny again. Eliot told her that Mr. Bunny would love that. She slipped her arm around his neck and pressed in tight for just a second. She was warm in his arms and her hair smelled of wildflowers and coconut. He let himself kiss her cheek, just at the corner of her mouth, tendrils of her golden hair brushing his cheek as she pulled back and smiled.

She made Bunny wave at him, and it took a moment for him to realize that Mr. Bunny was waving too. He grimaced - since when was he the kind of guy that made toy bunnies wave at people?

 

PART 4 - 'Bunnies Need Alone Time Too'

 

Eliot resisted talking to Mr. Bunny for well over a week, he’d nearly made it to two weeks by the night of his second date with Parker. Without thinking, he turned to ask Mr. Bunny’s opinion on his choice of tie. He stopped himself just after “Which do you think-” and darted a look around the room, checking that no-one had snuck in and was watching him talking to a stuffed bunny. Parker’s crazy habits were starting to rub off on him. He’d even had to ask he whether the bunnies were coming on their date with them, did he have to book a table for four? She’d laughed as if he was crazy and he’d thought she was about to tell him he was being silly, they were just toys, but she’d told him that the bunnies would be having a date of their own. Apparently the bunnies needed some _alone_ time.

Unfortunately Eliot needed to come up with something for the bunnies to do alone, in his apartment. He was tempted to just put them in the bed together and see how she reacted, but he didn’t want to make her think it was some kind of hint. In the end he rented _Finding Nemo_ , got in a bag of carrots, and set up a cosy little pile of cushions on the sofa.

Parker’s smile when he showed her and Bunny over to the couch was worth all the self-doubt. Her eyes were wider than he’d ever seen them when he put Bunny down next to Mr. Bunny and lifted Mr. Bunny’s paw to place it gently on top of Bunny’s. She watched him start the film and place the chopped carrots within easy reach before grabbing his coat. She wore high black boots, leggings and a white shirt under a short leather jacket. He let his hand slip to the small of her back and steered her out of the apartment, shutting the door quietly behind them as if there was a real couple inside he didn’t want to disturb.

Finally he was alone with her. As much as he was relieved, it was odd to have all of her attention suddenly focused on him as they walked together down the hallway to the elevator. She seemed to eat him up with her eyes, taking in every detail with slightly parted lips, fingers reaching out to touch the soft fabric of his shirt or pull back a strand of unruly hair from his forehead. He grinned and took her hand, interlacing her cool fingers with his own warm ones and rubbing her hand a little to warm it.

“So, where are we going tonight, El?” Her hair was tied up in a high pony. He wanted to undo the band around it and watch it tumble over her shoulders, watch her shake it out.

“It’s a surprise.” He smiled and kept a loose grip on her hand. Hold on too tight and a girl like Parker would fly away like a startled bird.

She pouted as they stepped into the elevator, puppy eyes in full effect. He almost caved for a second, but stayed infuriatingly silent, cultivating a blank, empty expression as she began to reel off restaurants and galleries as if she’d memorized them all by rote. Which she probably had, knowing Parker.

~*~

  
“Here?” She seemed puzzled, but intrigued. He slipped a hand lightly around her waist and guided her inside the sixty storey skyscraper. “You remember…?”

The elevator pinged and the doors opened, cherry-wood panels inside a glossy warm brown. She stepped inside, ran her fingers along the metal lines between the wood and turned to smile at him, hair swinging with the motion of her head.

He stepped in too and pressed the highest button. “I tried so hard not to look at you. Not to watch you changing. You were fearless that night, leaping into thin air with that tiny harness.” His fingers hovered at the level of her waist, not trusting himself to touch her and be able to let go again.

All the way up she babbled about the schematics of the building. Only once on the long ride up did he have to stop her from opening the ceiling hatch to have a look around up there, but then that was part of her charm. As the doors opened on the top floor, she made as if to step out and he blocked her way with an arm. “Not yet.” He pressed the button to close the doors again and slipped a key into the discreet lock under the panel of buttons. The elevator slowly climbed one more floor and opened into the cool outside air. He didn’t need to see what was set up out there for them, which left him free to watch her face light up as she took in the table set for two atop one of the tallest buildings in Boston.

This time he took her hand again and led her out close to the edge. The table was set with low bowls of yellow and white flowers and outdoor candles in high glass vases that kept them from blowing out in the breeze. They were close enough to the edge that she could look out and enjoy the view, but not enough that he would get dizzy. He’d considered hiring a waiter, but had decided to serve her himself.

The champagne overflowed from her glass when she leaned up to kiss him as he was pouring, and he could tell she was still smiling.

~*~

By the time they got back the film was long finished and the two bunnies seemed to have slipped down in their seats so that their heads were resting together. They looked content. Parker stroked Mr. Bunny’s ear softly, before picking up Bunny and wandering to where Eliot stood just inside the doorway, waiting to see her out. She laced her fingers with his own and moved in close. “Thank you, Eliot. We’ve had a lovely evening.” She was gazing into his eyes and waiting for once. He pulled her in tighter and kissed her gently for a moment until she relaxed into his hold. Her lips parted and he felt her sigh against his skin, tongue darting out to lick along his top lip. She tasted sweet and as he pulled back he caught her chasing his lips for a second, eyes still closed.

She was beautiful and she wanted him, but he could crush this thing they had by pushing her too hard. He let his thumb brush along the side of her face until she opened her eyes. “See you tomorrow, ‘kay?” She nodded and gave him a slightly dazed smile. He forced himself not to watch her go.


	2. Bunnies, Meet The Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This fic started with a prompt at the Eliot/Parker comment fic meme on LJ: Parker formally introduces Eliot to Bunny. It is entirely based on prompts from comments on each part.  
> death_of_dreams wanted: Parker and the Bunnies take care of Eliot when he gets beat up on a job. Nate/Sophie/Hardison stops by and finds the bunnies. jesco0307 said: At some point I'd like the team to meet Bunny and Mr. Bunny.

Eliot landed hard against the wall and slid down into a limp puddle on the floor. The shock of the impact made his head swim, and he floated into blackness for a second before he remembered why he had to stay awake. It was two on one, but it still should have been easy for him. These guys were ex-Marine, though. He’d recognized their distinctive hand-to-hand combat style from the moment he’d engaged them.

If they got past him and into the gallery opening that was going on above them, one of his team could get hurt, and he couldn’t let that happen. The thought spurred him into action and the room slowly came into focus. He was in the basement of the building, it was almost empty except for a few moldy looking boxes. At the bottom of one wall there were a few lengths of rusted pipe that had recently been replaced, the shiny new ones gleaming above his head.

The hired thugs didn’t expect him to get up so quickly after what they’d put him through. They were already turning away, eager to get into the gallery and put a stop to the con. His fingers closed around a heavy length of pipe and he hefted it as quietly as he could. It would have been satisfying to say something witty to draw their attention. It would also have been pointless and stupid. The only sound that escaped his lips was a small grunt of effort as he swung the pipe in a controlled, deadly arc and took out the first one with a blow to the neck that would leave him unconscious, but alive.

The second guy turned, half surprised but already preparing to tackle Eliot again. Eliot leaned back and used the guy’s own momentum against him, letting his own body take the blow of the fall. The move put the guy off his stride, and Eliot took the opportunity to slide an arm tight around his neck and squeeze. He counted out the seconds, knowing that there was only a small window between unconscious and dead. Once he was certain the guy was out cold, he slumped back and breathed for a minute.

“Eliot? Are you there?” Her voice was in his ear, soft but clear. It gave him the strength to get up and get on with tying up the hired muscle.

“I’m here.”

He heard her breath hitch for a second before she whispered, “Good, otherwise I was going to have to send Hardison to help you.”

He finished tying up the thugs with their own belts and leaned against the wall for a second, flicking back his hair from his face and grimacing at the pain it caused in his neck and head. “Hardison? What’s he gonna do, geek them to death? Quote Star Wars ‘til they beg for mercy?” Her little giggle made him smile for the first time since he’d stepped through the basement door.

~*~

By the time he got back to his apartment it was all he could do to get inside without collapsing. As soon as he’d left the team safe and victorious at Nate’s place, he’d relaxed and begun to feel the overwhelming dizziness and nausea that came sometimes with a heavy blow to the head. He stumbled to the chair that he kept close to the door for such times and fell into it heavily.

The room faded to blackness around him, but in the second before his eyes closed he thought he saw a flash of pale skin and blond hair outside his window.

~*~

He awoke in a dark room, body constricted and hot, his head was fuzzy and he struggled to remember where he was. Had he been caught? It didn’t feel like he was tied up, more like there was pressure all around him, like he was wrapped up in something tight. It took him a moment to realize he hadn‘t woken up of his own accord, someone was there with him. He tried to sit up, but someone pushed him back down gently.

“No, you’re not allowed to get up. Sophie says you need to rest. I’m taking care of you.” He knew that voice, he focused on it and waited for the room to lighten as his eyes adjusted.

“Parker?” He breathed, his voice surprisingly raspy. “How long was I out?”

“Only an hour, two minutes and forty five seconds.” She was peering intently at a stopwatch, and although it hurt his head, he couldn’t help but laugh. She shifted so that she was sat cross-legged next to him, one knee at his shoulder, the other by his waist.

“You count out those seconds one by one?” He asked, and watched as she nodded.

“Sophie said you can’t sleep for much more than an hour, I have to keep waking you up to see if you have a concussion. You don’t have a concussion, do you?”

He began to shake his head, before thinking the better of it. “Don’t think so.” He’d had enough to now by now. He looked down, the tightness around his body was the cocoon of blankets she’d wrapped him in. He was safely ensconced in his own bed, but unable to move with the way she’d rolled him up. At least he wouldn’t aggravate his injuries.

This time when he moved, she let him sit up a little. She’d placed the bunnies in bed with him, one tucked on each side, covers up to their necks. As the blankets around him loosened, he was able to do his mental inventory of the injuries he’d sustained. Checking over his body under the covers, he realized she’d patched him up. She was grinning as she watched him check her handiwork. “How did you…?”

She looked smug, “Come on, El. I’ve fallen from enough buildings by now, patching you up was a piece of cake.”

“But I’m…” He was having trouble finishing sentences these days, and she was clearly loving it.

“In your underwear?” She grinned, “That was the fun part.” Suddenly she leapt off the bed and disappeared into the darkness.

~*~

An hour later he was being lightly prodded awake again. This time the room was lighter, Eliot hazily noticed that his bedside lamp was lit. The covers were looser and he was able to sit up a little without having to wiggle free.

“Man, he looks bad.” The voice was familiar, and it grated on his nerves after just four words. Hardison. “You give him enough of those meds?”

Sophie’s crisp accent cut across Hardison’s drawl, “He can’t have too many painkillers right now. She can’t let him get too drowsy.”

From further back in the room he thought he could make out Nate’s voice, “He’ll be fine. He’s been through worse.” Without looking he could tell that Nate was in the doorway, resting against the frame.

Their faces came into view as he focused. He struggled to sit up more, but Parker was still sitting on the covers. Her face was stubbornly set, she wasn’t moving. “Why are you here?” He couldn’t help letting the grouchiness cloud his words, they weren’t supposed to see him like this. He was supposed to be strong and they were meant to rely on him all the time. Ready at any second to kick ass, clean up their messes, always in control. He wasn’t supposed to be some invalid, stuck in bed being taken care of by his girlfriend.

For just a second he felt a flash of anger, he was about to rip back the sheets and force them all out when he caught sight of Parker’s face. She looked upset, worried about him and out of her depth. The rage deflated as quickly as it had sparked inside him. She had a way about her that just made his defences crumble. He sighed and sat back, folding his arms.

The bed dipped as Sophie sat on his other side, opposite Parker. Unlike Parker, she sat primly on the edge, poised and ladylike as always. None of them had flinched at his anger, taking it as their god-given right to be there. None of them had even thought to answer him. Sophie’s fingers trailed over Mr. Bunny, and Eliot was glad that the room wasn’t brightly lit, she wouldn’t catch the flush that came to his cheeks.

“And just who is this delightful chap?” Sophie was pulling Mr. Bunny out from under the covers, and Eliot contained the urge to rip the bunny out of her hands and put him out of her reach. Why did she have to touch everything?

“That’s Mr. Bunny.” Parker was smiling, her eyes were soft and hazy. Not for the first time, Eliot wondered what he’d done to deserve her. “He’s friends with Bunny.” She tugged Bunny out gently from her place on Eliot’s other side, and put her hands over Bunny’s ears as she whispered “But Bunny wants to be more than friends.”

Sophie and Nate shared a significant glance, and Eliot was too busy rubbing his hands over his eyes to realize that Hardison had snapped a photo on his phone. The sound of the camera-phone shutter was the last straw. He squeezed Parker’s hand and she looked at him shrewdly, eyes narrowing as she took in the plea in his own eyes.

“Okay guys, me and El want some alone time. Shoo! Out now.” She made shooing motions with her hands, and he felt the bed lighten as she and Sophie both got up.

When she’d let them out and locked the door safely behind her, she padded back softly to his room. He was feeling dozy again, just about ready to drift back into the blackness, when he felt her slip under the covers beside him. Her cool fingers rested lightly on the back of his neck, and he faded into oblivion with a smile on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an ongoing WIP ay my LJ journal:http://rozabellalove.livejournal.com/
> 
> I'm only writing to prompts from people so if you have something you'd like to see next please come and prompt me or leave a comment here :)


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